Savings Log of a 26yr old on low pay

jules888

malik999 wrote: »

I really hate this reason/excuse. I guarantee that if the OP really put his mind to it he could find a job paying more than £6.25 per hour. That is a low wage.

You might really hate this reason/excuse but all we hear about is job losses at the moment.My husband is a civil engineer,out of work as no jobs.Worst hes ever known in 25 years employment!

KMK

Just like to add my best wishes too. You have achieved a lot, so don't lose sight of that if you have a bad day.

Now that winter is coming, you might like to consider buying and using a slow cooker (for those nights when you are not at mum's). They are very easy and cheap to use and would provide a hot meal in the evening when you get in from work.

MoneyWaster2007

Thankyou for your opinions. I have been looking for new employment since I started in this job 19 months ago. That is how bad the job market is.

Now that I have a full time contract I am going to ask if I can go on day release to college to learn about electronics and hopefully move forwards from there, whilst continuing on the job hunt.

Went to work yesterday and worked 8.30 till 5.30 and I got more money than I expected because apparently I had worked really hard - got £100 - not bad for a days work!! So that will add to the £40 saved from last weeks wage and will help towards converting to monthly pay.

Went out for a meal last night for my sisters 30th and didnt spend a penny as my mum and dad insisted they paid for it. The meal was £20 and a few drinks on top of that so was very grateful. I offered them some money but they wouldn't accept it.

Working Wednesday and Thursday evening aswell after my main job to clear up all the mess that was created yesterday when we booted the ceiling down from inside the loft.

Been after a North Face jacket for ages but they are expensive so I'm going to see what they have in the charity shops as the weather will be getting colder now. I've been wearing the same jacket since 2006 when my ex girkfriend bought me one and I think it's time to replace it...

@KMK - I bought a mini oven when I moved in here, but not sure if I'd like to leave an oven cooking all day because the smoke alarms in this place don't work as far as I can see - I have one in my room which I smoke underneath and there is no response.

@StevieJ - does the O2 broadband include an intallation charge?

Primrose

Ah Hah! Moneywaster, We have found your Achilles Heel ! You're a smoker! :rotfl: I know you must have some pleasure in life, but how heavy a habit is it? Would it worth sitting down and working out much a year it's costing you? That might make a good sum to tuck away in your "sealed pot" challenge. Seriously, you are doing very well in a difficult job situation and if you can persuade your employer to support you in further training, this is obviously the way to go, especially as self-funding would be an expensive option. Moving from weekly paid to monthly paid is always difficult because you have to fund yourself for four weeks outgoings with your savings, but once you've overcome this hurdle budgeting should be fairly simple.

PS If your smoke alarm isn't working, I would point this out to your landlord and ask him to get it fixed. It might be worth pressing the test button on it with a stick to test it out. Possibly just the battery needs replacing. It's always a good idea to put a little label on smoke alarm batteries with the date they were inserted to check whether they're getting out of date.

StevieJ

MoneyWaster2007 wrote: »

@StevieJ - does the O2 broadband include an intallation charge?

No connection fees

We won't charge you any additional fees to set up your Home Broadband account. All you'll pay is the usual monthly tariff, and we'll hook you up for free

You do have to ensure that your telephone exchange is enabled by entering your telephone number in the box on the O2 site and you do need an O2 mobile to receive the best deal, three months free as well.

http://broadband.o2.co.uk/home/whyo2.jsp

linz

Agree with the slow cooker idea, you can get really good ones for about a tenner, try TJ Hughes, or whether Comet or Currys have any on offer, or do a search on these forums. They are fab in the winter and hardly cost anything to leave on low all day. Just plonk your ingredients in there before you leave for work and set it on low and when you get in your tea is ready Better still it makes 3 or 4 portions so you can freeze the rest and eat another time when you don't feel like cooking or when you have nowt in your cupboards.

atypical

StevieJ wrote: »

You do have to ensure that your telephone exchange is enabled by entering your telephone number in the box on the O2 site and you do need an O2 mobile to receive the best deal, three months free as well.

Plus £50 cashback:
http://www.topcashback.co.uk/o2_broadband/

Effectively nearly 10 months free.

MoneyWaster2007

Thanks again guys, some very helpful ideas there

Just been thinking today...I'd love a holiday, a car, a motorbike, new clothes, a mortgage etc. but I just can't do any of these things. How frustrating.

Done 10 hours over time this week and worked till 8.30 last night free of charge helping my cousin with her new house...just feels like I'm not getting anywhere...

Sorry about the negativity...rant over

leahciM

MoneyWaster2007 wrote: »

Just been thinking today...I'd love a holiday, a car, a motorbike, new clothes, a mortgage etc. but I just can't do any of these things. How frustrating.

(I've been following the thread without posting, but please allow me to jump in).

Before I got my current job I was a waiter earning minimum wage +paltry tips which probably came to around your current wage and I spent my time wishing I had a car, a holiday, new clothes and my own place.

I'm now earning much more than I ever have and I still spend my time wishing I had things that I don't have. It's human nature I'm afraid and I honestly believe that it's only the worlds billionaires -the ones to whom money genuinely means nothing- who don't feel this way.


You're doing a great job mate, it shows great depth of character to knuckle down and do the things you need to do to improve yourself rather than p*ss it all up the wall. :T

bendix

Ahhhh, this thread takes me back to when I was the OP's age and didn't have a brass farthing to my name. I was just starting my career and had an overdraft, and recall thinking that to have a net worth of zero would be a dream. I reached that, and then suddenly the aspiration was to have £500 savings. It seemed an impossible target, until I reached it and refocused on £1000, and then £5,000 etc etc.

Well, you get the idea.

What happened to those 20 years, I wonder?